AutoblogGreen Drives the 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid

Autoblog just finished testing the 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid. Overall, they liked it – inside and out – praising its styling, efficiency for the price, and interior. "The styling of the dash is far more car-like and attractive than the [Ford] Escape and appears to be of higher quality materials," wrote the site.

Saturn uses the same mild hybrid setup used in the Aura and Malibu sedans. This system uses a 5kW motor/generator that takes the place of the conventional alternator. The motor/generator is belt driven off the engine crankshaft and provides automatic start/stop capability, some electric power boost and regenerative braking. The comparatively weak motor, combined with a nickel metal hydride battery with only 48V, obviously limits the capability of the system. During acceleration, the motor can basically act as an electrically-driven turbocharger providing up to 7hp extra when the battery has sufficient juice. Aside from that, it shuts down the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and automatically restarts it when the brake pedal is released. Here is one place where the Vue shines. Unlike every other front wheel drive hybrid I've tried, this one had absolutely no shudder on restart. Not so the Vue, which was completely seamless.

Random Article from the SaturnFans.com Archives

The Chicago Tribune reports that General Motors has confirmed rumors surrounding the company's plans for a hybrid version of the upcoming Saturn Aura. SaturnFans.com has been reporting about a hybrid Saturn midsize car for quite awhile, but it is believed that this is the first time that a GM executive has publicly spoken about it.